Zerelda Cole James Samuel (1825 – 1911)

Zerelda Cole James Samuel (1825 – 1911)

Text by Carlynn Trout with research assistance by Elizabeth Engel

Zerelda Cole James Samuel was the mother of the outlaw Jesse James.
She was born Zerelda Elizabeth Cole on January 29, 1825, in Woodford
County, Kentucky, to James and Sarah Cole. Her father was killed in a
horse accident when she was two. In 1839 fourteen-year-old Zerelda
entered a Catholic school for girls. She met Robert James, a college student, and they were married on December 20, 1841.
In 1842 Zerelda and Robert moved to Clay County, Missouri, to live
with her mother and stepfather. After the birth of her first child,
Zerelda moved to the farm where she would live the rest of her life.
Zerelda bore four children with Robert James: Frank, Robert, Jr., who died shortly after birth, Jesse, and Susan.
After suffering the death of her husband Robert, Zerelda married
Benjamin Simms briefly, then a doctor named Reuben Samuel in 1855. She
had several children with Dr. Samuel.
Zerelda Cole James Samuel was a Confederate sympathizer who fiercely
defended her son Jesse’s guerrilla activities. In 1875 she was maimed
when Pinkerton agents threw a firebomb into her farmhouse in the hope of
catching Jesse. After Jesse’s death, Zerelda had him buried on her
property. She lived the rest of her life in the shadow of her son’s
controversial legacy. She died on February 10, 1911.

Text by Carlynn Trout with research assistance by Elizabeth Engel

Meets Show-Me Standards SS: 2, 6, 7; 4th grade GLE 2a.A.

References and Resouces

For more information about Zerelda Cole James Samuel's life and career, see the following resources:

Society Resources

The following is a selected list of books, articles, and manuscripts about Zerelda Cole James Samuel in the research centers of The State Historical Society of Missouri. The Society’s call numbers follow the citations in brackets. All links will open in a new tab.